Scales
by Restful Dreams
Summary: Alec is a normal Shadowhunter. He has been trained to fight demons and knows very well that his role is to protect the mundanes of this world. Except, he isn't a normal shadowhunter. Downworlder blood in a child of the Angel is not uncommon, but a shadowhunter with mermaid blood flowing through their veins is quite new. Merman!Alec. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my first multi-chapter story for the Mortal Instruments Series, or to be more precise, for the ship Malec. I really hope that you enjoy it! If you do like, be sure to follow, favorite, or write a review, it always helps me get the next chapter out quicker. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy some merman!Alec.**

 **All characters belong to Cassandra Clare.**

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Isabelle hurried down the river's edge, her whip curled around her arm and glinting softly in the light of sunlight.

"Izzy," She heard a voice and quickly turned around to see if it was who she hoped it was. She hurried down towards the river, cautiously picking her way through the rocks to make her way to the dark haired and blue eyed creature.

"Hey, Alec," She said softly, not wanting to catch the attention of someone who might happen to pass by. "I just came down to tell you that dad never came back last night. He said that the Clave had extended his time there, so he can't get back for a while," she explained quickly, a sadness twinkling lightly in her eyes.

"Oh," was all that Alec replied with, still partially hidden within

the water. Slight disappointment tinged his voice, but at the same time he was relieved. Robert may say he loves him, but it was hard to believe at times, most times that is. "Well, I bet he wants to come back, he probably misses you," Alec replied, trying his best to be the brotherly figure that she thought of him as and reassure her. She simply nodded, gazing off into the distance, watching the sun rise over the landscape of buildings.

"How's Max and Jace? I haven't seen them in a while," Alec started, interrupting the comfortable silence between them. She perked up slightly at the mention of Max, she had always loved him quite a bit.

" Max is doing good, he's been hanging out with Clary and Jace a lot. Clary has been taking him down to the manga store that she promised to take him to a while ago, and he seems to really be enjoying it. Jace has just been enjoying his time with Clary," Isabelle finished. Alec nodded. He had a feeling that Jace would be doing something that involved Clary. His parabatai seemed to be attached to that girl at the hip.

He sighed softly. "Well that's good," he said sincerely. Izzy checked the phone she had been cradling in her arms.

"I've got to get going before people know that I'm gone," she said quickly, starting to make her way back up the jagged rocks. "You really need to come back to the institute sometime soon," She started as she turned around to face him, her beautiful dark eyes meeting his bright blue ones. "I know that it makes you feel a little sick, but mom worries about you, whether you believe it or not, and she wants to see you again. Plus, demons have been absolutely everywhere lately, we could use your help,"

She turned around and continued up, not waiting for a response, and was soon hurrying down the sidewalk and back towards the institute, her whip shining in the early light of day. Alec leaned against the rocks, looking at the sunrise, now alone. His life was a mess right now. He looked down into the water, catching the glint of black scales hovering under the surface. He felt like he had been cursed, forsaken by the angel Raziel himself. He didn't have anything against merpeople, he just wasn't particularly fond of having the blood of a merperson somehow in him.

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 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and as I said before, please follow, favorite, or review, because it is always very encouraging to see that you enjoyed the story!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again everybody! This chapter will be somewhat slow and doesn't have too much excitement in it, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!**

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Swimming up to the shore, he attempted to start the painful switch from what he currently was to a shadowhunter, or at least as shadowhunter-like as he could get. The process of shedding your tail felt like your tail and spine were being twisted, being split in two, which your tail was, but it was worse, the pain maximized. It felt like your chest was being crushed and twisted, gills shifting into lungs, talons dragging across your skin as scales fell off.

He focused on shifting from scales to skin, willing the magic he had acquired as a merman to obtain this goal. After a while of painful groans and the use of more magic than necessary, he slowly stood up, small cuts along his unsteady legs and strong shoulders where scales had peeled away.

He stumbled when he attempted his first step, a nauseous feeling jolting through his body. He hadn't transformed in while, and the amount of effort and energy it took was horrible. At least he was wearing clothes. He didn't understand why they stayed, but he was glad he wasn't naked in the streets of New York.

He stood up, finally feeling slightly better, and began climbing the rocks, agile feet moving almost soundlessly over the jagged stones. Most of his runes had disappeared in his time in the water, although he wasn't sure why. He also wasn't sure why his ears would remain slightly pointed when he was out of the water, and why scales still graced his neck, shoulders and hips. It was annoying, but the could live with it.

Only a few people knew of his mermaidness, I guess you could call it. Those people consisted of Jace, Izzy, Max -although he didn't quite understand- Robert, and Maryse, as well as Brother Zachariah. Nobody knew why the baby had been born with scales, but they quickly found out when they attempted to give him a bath or he simply tried to wash his hands.

Brother Zachariah had tried again and again to find a solution or simply find out why this happened, but couldn't find an answer. The only thing he knew to do was to let the strange child live as normal a life as possible, and tell no one about this secret, other than family.

For some reason, remaining human made him feel nauseous, a sick and horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Because of that, he normally used weapons that didn't require him jumping around like a maniac, like a bow for instance. Sure you might shift on your feet every once in a while, but it wasn't like you were leaping into the air and throwing three daggers while doing a 360 before sticking your landing in a perfect fighting stance.

If it was anything like that, Alec probably throw up from attempting to do such a thing. Alec walked unsteadily along the sidewalk, concentrating on simply putting one foot in front of the other without face planting. He managed to make his way to the Institute without dying, and gently pushed open the unlocked door to the entrance. He was greeted by a soft meow, and looked down to see Church looking up at him expectantly. He reached down and pet the cat.

He had always known that Church had liked him more than other people, but maybe only because he smelt kinda like a fish to the cat's sensitive nose. Well, whatever the reason was, he was still quite fond of the cat, and was glad to have someone who would always appreciate his company.

Alec quietly walked down the familiar hall into the kitchen, Church following close at his heels. He hadn't eaten in a while, only relying on fruits and anything else Izzy would bring him from the Institute's kitchen. He knew that he should be eating meat and other things like that, he was a predator in the water, he needed the protein, and he wasn't out of the water enough to get said protein that he needed. For now though, all he wanted was some coffee.

He slowly started making himself coffee, being careful not to trip on rugs or run into chairs. He was wondering how his mother would react at his sudden appearance. He hoped she wouldn't be angry at him, it always was somewhat inconvenient when he just appeared out of nowhere, even if he did have his own room and they wouldn't have to change anything about there routine for him. It was oh so terrible when her first born child appeared to spend some time with his family.

He was also hoping that there wouldn't be that many demon alerts, he hadn't practiced with his bow for a while. While his arms were strong, whether they looked it or not, from the effort of swimming, he still wasn't sure if he could even hit the target at the moment.

"Alec, you actually came," A voice said behind him. Alec turned around to see Izzy walking up to him. she gave him a hug before sighing softly. "Nice to see you with legs again, fish boy." She said jokingly, a smirk gracing her lips.

"Not quite as nice to actually have legs." He muttered loud enough for her to hear, shifting on his feet.

"Well too bad, because your going to be using them a lot tonight," she said. Alec gave her a confused look. " We're going to some party tonight for Clary, she said there is some demon activity going on and they found a dead werewolf in one of the bathrooms, so were going to go check it out." Izzy said. Alec only nodded. He wasn't a fan of parties, but if it would stop deaths, he would go. He'd probably have to keep an eye on Clary since she's always throwing herself recklessly into dangerous situations. Though they were going to a party, Jace would probably be watching her _very_ well.

He nodded, accepting the information and signaling that he would go as he picked up his cup of coffee from the table, taking a sip of the warm liquid before returning his thoughts back to training. They sat in comfortable silence, Isabelle simply staring out a window while Alec drank his coffee and got more and more lost in thought.

"All right, I've gotta run." Izzy announced, grabbing an apple out of a bowl before abruptly leaving.

"Where are you going?" he asked quickly.

"Going to go meet Simon at some restaurant for breakfast. See you later." She explained before running through the door, leaving Alec alone. He sighed inwardly, walking out of the room. The least he could do before the party was read a book. He had nothing better to do anyways.

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 **Thank you for reading! I hope that this was not too boring of a chapter for you, but I will tell you that more exciting things will happen in the future chapters. I have a good amount of the story written, and I have enjoyed writing it so far. Thank you for reading, and I hope you are looking foreward to the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, here's another chapter! I'm going to do my best to set a steady pace for uploading chapters, but I might upload the next chapter so that it doesn't just cut off like it does here.**

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Alec sat quietly, his eyes scanning over the words in the book. Just a demonology book, one he had read numerous times, so many times in fact that he practically knew the book word for word. His attention was turned away from the book as he heard the door to the library open, the doors hinges creaking slightly.

Maryse walked in, not noticing him. He sunk down into the chair, hoping yo remain unseen. He had been in here for a few hours, mindlessly reading the books that were scattered on the coffee table in front of him. They were going to have to leave to go to the party sometime soon, although he hadn't seen Izzy come back from her meeting with Simon, and he hadn't spotted Jace anywhere either.

His mother hadn't noticed him still, her eyes focused on the shelves of books. She traced her finger along the spine of numerous books before landing on one that he presumed she was looking for. SHe pulled it out and walked back out of the room, closing the door behind her loudly.

He relaxed as he heard her high heels clicking against the floor away from the room, the noise getting quieter and quieter. Sitting back up in his chair he decided to go train for a short amount of time before going off to the party. He placed the book on the table along with the others, leaving his empty mug of coffee there as well.

He moved as soundlessly as possible towards the door of the library, hoping his mother wasn't still out there, and not wanting to risk the chance of seeing her. He opened the door, peering down the hallway. He made his way towards his room first, grabbing a dark grey turtleneck to put on instead of his baggy sweater, the turtle neck being more capable to hide the scales along his neck. He was already wearing a pair of jeans, and decided not to change out of them.

He hurried down the hallway yet again, making sure it was empty before hurrying down. He opened the door to the training room, carefully closing the door behind him. He flicked on the light, not quite welcoming the darkness that he was then greeted with. He walked over to the wall where his bow was sitting, hanging up on a wall. He picked it up gingerly, looking around the room for his quiver.

It wasn't where he had last left it, which wasn't surprising considering the fact that he hadn't been here in a while, but he wasn't all that fond of having people move and touch his stuff. His bow and quiver were his and he would prefer that other people would not use it. He found his quiver resting against a wall, counting the arrows quickly before slinging it on his shoulder, the familiar weight calming him slightly. He hadn't even noticed how tense his he had been.

He made his way to the center of the room, facing the targets that were lined up against the walls. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and hooked it in his bow in one fluid motion, drawing the string back as he focused on the target. He let the arrow fly, feeling satisfied when it landed right in the center with a loud thump. HE pulled out another arrow, doing the same motion as before, the arrow landing right next to it's companion. Maybe he shouldn't doubt his abilities so quickly.

He simply waited for the others to show up and practiced shooting for a while, changing positions, moving forward and backward. He was interrupted when Izzy walked into the room, Clary and Jace close at her heels. Izzy was dressed in a dark red dress that reached her mid thigh, black boots zipped up to her knee, her golden whip glinting along her arm, contrasting with her dark hair and eyes.

Jace was wearing what he normally wore, a simple shirt and some jeans, except now he had a belt with seraph blades and other weapons hanging low on his hips. Clary was wearing a green dress that reached her knees, a pair of black pumps on her feet. Alec was sure she had a weapon strapped around her thigh, seeing the glint of metal when she walked.

Alec put his bow down, unhooking the arrow he had been getting ready to shoot and putting it in his quiver.

"Ready to go Alec?" Jace asked, walking over and slinging an arm over his shoulders, dragging him over to the rest of the group. Alec nodded wordlessly. Normally Jace would greet his parabatai by saying something along the lines o 'Nice to see you again, fish breath', but with Clary here he knew that it would be a bad idea to let something like that slip.

"Let's go then," Isabelle said excitedly, walking out of the room, Clary following. The two boys walked out, following the giddy girls to the entrance of the Institute and walking out into the frigid air of New York. The group walked along, Isabelle leading them down the streets, navigating through alleyways and across streets until they arrived at a door with a big letter 'M' carved into it.

Izzy glanced down at the directions again before knocking on the door. Alec nervously messed with his hair, hoping it covered the points of his ears and the scales his turtleneck couldn't conceal. He wasn't a fan of parties, as he has probably expressed before, but he had to go if it involved demons. He looked up and was greeted by a particularly colorful and glittery sight as the door swung open.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. HE was tall and lean, tan colored skin and dark hair that sparkled with glitter. He wore eyeliner and eyeshadow, a dark purple and red that also had glitter in it. His eyes were slitted pupils, much like a cat's, green with gold along the iris. He wore tight leather pants and a leather jacket with purple sequins along the collar. He had numerous rings along his fingers, all of them glittering in the moon's light. He wore a red shirt that read 'Blink if you want me' in sparkling letters. Alec blinked quite a few times.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly at them, his smile seeming to fade slightly.

"Hello Nephilim, do you have an invitation or are you here to crash my party?" He asked, his voice smooth. Isabelle handed him the paper she had used to guide them here, which Alec now guessed was said invitation. The man blinked down at the paper before stepping aside and letting them in. Alec hurried by, feeling the party host's eyes on his neck where the turtleneck had fallen down slightly, revealing the skin scattered with black and blue scales. He quickly pulled his collar back up.

Once they entered the group scattered, leaving Alec alone standing in the throng of dancers, all of them downworlders. A warlock with purple hair and talons, a vampire with piercing green eyes and pale skin, a fair folk with solid blue eyes and a sharp nose.

He looked around for any sign of Jace, Izzy, or even Clary, but they had all disappeared in the flashing lights. He grasped onto the strap of his quiver nervously, his eyes looking around the room. A few of the downworlders had noticed him, and were whispering undoubtedly nasty and horrible things about him. The room was large, a bar at one end of the room while downworlders danced at the other, holding up their drinks and cheering and laughing.

There was light shining all over the room, making him slightly dizzy. He walked over to the bar, pulling up a seat at the very edge near a corner, far from anyone else. All he had to do was watch the crowd for anyone suspicious and see if the killer had returned, then he could go home.

"Where did your little friends go?" Someone asked right behind Alec, causing him to jump. He turned to see the host of this party, now realizing that his eyes marked him as a warlock. He had heard of a warlock with cat eyes in New York before, knew that it was someone of great significance, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment.

"They just, um, went to mingle with the other people." Alec stuttered out, finding himself at a loss for words around the warlock.

"Interesting." Was his only reply, his eyes gazing down at Alec curiously before returning back to the party guests. After a while in the uncomfortable silence, the warlock finally said "I was just wondering, are you part fairy? Your ears are slightly pointed and I thought I saw a hint of blue on your skin earlier." He asked, causing Alec to freeze for a moment as he fought with his mind to find a response.

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 **Thank you for reading so far! Also, thank you guys for the support so far, it makes me very happy that you take time out of your day to read this and favorite or follow or even write a review. Next chapter will hopefully be up sometime today, but it's my birthday today, so I'm not sure I'll have time, but I'll see what I can do!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Woo, another chapter! Thank you to those who wished me a happy birthday, that really made my day. And now, here's the other chapter I promised you. The way that I use POVs might be somewhat confusing, since I don't directly say who's point of view we are going from, but normally the first sentence will have the character's name in it.**

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Magnus saw the boy visibly tense up after he asked the question. He inwardly cursed himself, wondering if that was a bit too much of a personal question for the Nephilim. He had been somewhat in awe when he first saw him, with his piercing blue eyes and dark hair. He had felt an overwhelming urge to talk to the boy, watching him closely as he walked by, catching a glimpse of pointed ears and what he thought to be blue skin.

He had wondered if it really was a Nephilim for a second, then thought it was silly that he would be with that group if he wasn't one of them. He never saw him around though, didn't think he had ever seen him before. He decided it would probably be best to change the subject before the Nephilim boy's head exploded, which it looked like it was going to after he paled.

"Do you live at the institute? I go there every so often, but I've never seen you before. Although I do recognize the other three you were with," He said, the boy seeming to pale even more. What questions was he supposed to ask if it only upset the boy?

"Oh, there you are Alec," Said a girl, whom he recognized as one of the Lightwood children. "I've been looking for you," She said with a smile, but not one that quite reached her eyes. "I see you've met Magnus, the High Warlock of Brooklyn." She seemed to put an emphasis on the last few words.

He watched the boys eyes widen slightly before he nodded looking down at the floor.

"We've met all right. We've had quite the conversation so far, I was just asking his name," Magnus said, hoping the girl, Isabelle he remembered, would tell him who the silent Nephilim is.

"Magnus, this is my brother, Alec Lightwood," Isabelle introduced him. He gave a small nod of his head before staring at the floor. Magnus gave her a confused look. The only children he knew that the Lightwoods had was a little nine year old, max, he believed, Isabelle, and then their adopted son Jace. He had never heard of an Alec, although Alec had the same dark hair as his sister and piercing blue eyes as his brother.

"He's not around very much, he spent a lot of his time in.. Alicante," she flashed him another smile, placing a hand on her brother's stiff shoulder. Did she really think that he would believe such a poorly put together story? Apparently she did.

"Come on Alec, we should go dance," She said with what seemed to be fake enthusiasm. He nodded and stood up. "Bye Magnus, nice seeing you again." She said while walking away. Magnus sighed, taking a sip of the drink he had resting in his hand.

Alec was dragged into the bathroom where Izzy proceeded to lock the door and look him up and down. He was pale, his arms crossed defensively across his chest. He looked like he was going to be sick. This always happened when he finally turned back to human. He would normally be pretty sick the first few days, not used to breathing the air of New York and not used to having two legs. It made him sick for some reason, she wasn't sure why.

"You okay?" She asked, legitimately worried about him. He nodded, hugging his arms tighter to his chest, standing up slightly straighter."Okay, you just looked uncomfortable, and like you were going to be sick, so I pulled you out of the conversation," She explained, hoping that what she did was the right thing to do.

"Thank you, he started asking questions about my ears, he also saw the scales," Alec said nervously, absentmindedly scratching said scales that lied under the turtleneck.

"It's okay," She said softly, knowing that he got especially nervous when people asked about them. "You don't have to answer anything that anyone asks," She said, looking him over once more. "You wanna go back out?" She asked. He nodded, allowing her to guide him out of the small but very colorful bathroom.

The dancers outside were still swaying to the rhythmic music, lights still shining around the room. It made Alec slightly dizzy. He detached himself from Isabelle, walking over to a corner and planting himself there, hoping that no one else would describe to sneak up on him.

After what felt like hours at the party, something finally happened. While Alec was watching from the corner, his eyes lazily following the dancer's movements, occasionally getting glimpses of Clary's bright red hair, or Isabelle's glinting whip. All at once, a scream sounded through the room, chilling his blood as he stood upright, yanking his bow off his back and notching an arrow.

Other screams sounded through the room, not as pain ridden or horrified as the first scream. The music stopped abruptly, the lights still shining brightly, as people ran around in a frenzy. The party goers parted to reveal the source of the scream. Standing on the dance floor, a girl with shining solid blue eyes and dark brown hair clutched at her purse, her eyes wide with horror. A vampire was biting down roughly on her shoulder, small whimpers escaping her as she stood frozen, no one moving to help her as the vampire gripped her shoulders.

Alec took the chance, drawing the arrow back, aiming at the hand the vampire had on the girl's shoulder. He pulled back with just enough force to pierce the vampire's flesh, not harming the fair folk. He let the arrow fly, watching it pierce the vampire's hand as he yanked back, pulling himself off the shuddering woman.

Just as Alec fired the arrow Jace and Isabelle burst out of the crowd, Jace holding two seraph blades, one in each hand while Izzy brandished her whip. They attacked at once, Izzy wrapping her whip around the vampire's ankle, dragging him to the ground with a violent tug, Jace bringing his blades down on the vampire, killing the downworlder with a quick flick of the blades.

For a moment Alec wondered where Clary had been during the short attack before he turned and saw her tending to the woman who had been attacked, carefully applying a disinfectant cloth to her bite wound and the claw marks the vampire had dragged across her arm. The woman nodded every time time Clary said something, a fearful look in her eyes as she put her safety in the hands of a shadowhunter.

People were still running around and screaming, most people had calmed down and already seen the carcass of the vampire. Magnus Bane pushed his way through the crowd, eyeing Jace angrily.

"Would you mind explaining to me why you just killed one of my party guest?" He asked, his voice calm, but his gaze dangerous. He must not have seen the rogue vampire attack the girl.

"Well, if you hadn't noticed already, he had decided that one of your other party guest would be a delightful midnight snack, but thanks to us, we prevented that from happening," Jace explained, returning Magnus' glare as he gestured to the fair folk that Clary was trying to calm down.

Magnus looked over at the woman, watching her solid blue eyes dart back and forth. Alec simply watched the argument between his parabatai and the party host unfold, standing in the crowd, few people noticing him even though he had his bow drawn and ready. Magnus looked over at him, startling Alec somewhat. He had thought he was pretty well hidden.

There was little to no anger in Magnus' eyes as he gazed at Alec, and he sighed before looking back at the Nephilim attempting to stare him down, even though Magnus was quite a bit taller than Jace.

"Fine, just clean up and get out of my house as soon as possible," He said, glaring at Jace. "Alright, party's over. As you might have noticed, there is a dead vampire on my carpet, and I insist you leave," He said loudly, watching the guest hurry out of the apartment, stealing glances at the child of the night laying dead on the floor.

Once everyone had gone Alec returned his attention to the problem at hand, watching his adoptive brother clean up the blood around the vampire while Clary and Isabelle sat down on the floor with the fey woman who was still in the house. Alec decided to help Jace, he wasn't the best at comforting people.

He kneeled down beside Jace, picking up one of the clean cloths out of a pile next to his parabatai to help soak up the blood. Jace gave a quick glance at him.

"Hey, umm, you might need to pull your turtle neck up a bit," Jace said as quietly as possible. Alec hurriedly pulled up his collar, feeling Magnus' gaze heavily on him. He continued to clean the blood, attempting not to be fazed under Magnus' gold and green eyes.

They quickly cleaned up the blood, Magnus saying he'd take care of the body properly before they left, Clary and Isabelle escorting the woman out, making sure she was okay before letting her go home.

As they walked out, Magnus following close behind them, they turned around to apologize for murdering a person during his party, or at least, Clary did, before Magnus cut her off before she could start.

"Alright, Nephilim. Make sure you have all your weapons, everyone's here, and I would kindly ask you not to murder anymore of my guests," He said, a smile plastered across his face before his lips turned into a smirk. "And you," He said, gesturing at Alec, "Call me," He finished with a wink, turning around and closing the door behind him.

Alec could felt his cheeks heat up, looking startled, staring at the now closed door. Izzy sighed and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, pulling him off the steps and back towards the Institute.

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 **Thank you for reading, I hope your excited for the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again everyone! I apologize for not updating, I was out of range of any internet connection so I wasn't able to update anything. Thank you guys for all the reviews and follows, and to the people who want more of the Legend of Zelda story, don't worry, I'll post soon. I've just been having trouble with the plot, but if you want more, comment on that story, not this one. Thank you guys!**

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They opened the door to the Institute, walking into the vast hallways. Clary and Jace walked off, probably to go sleep in Jace's room since it was pretty obvious now that Clary wasn't going to go home. Alec and Izzy walked down the hallway together, Izzy hugging him and saying goodnight before they parted and went to their own rooms.

The place felt somewhat alien to Alec, which was to be expected since he hadn't been here in a while. His dresser was slightly covered in dust, some of the photos he had hung on the walls had fallen down, laying messily on the floor. He didn't bother to put them back up.

He took off his turtle neck, pulling a baggy t-shirt out of the drawer, one that would show off most of the scales at his neck and shoulders. He slipped it on, as well as a pair of dark sweatpants.

Pulling the sheets back, he slipped into the warm bed. Well, this was something he definitely missed, sitting in a warm cozy bed, staring out his window at the stars that encircled this world. It left him feeling calm. He had always liked the stars, even as a young child, he would stay up staring at the glowing lights for hours on end.

He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply before his exhaustion overtook him and he slipped into sleep.

Magnus was quite intrigued by this Nephilim boy. Once he had told the boy to call him, he had quickly slipped back into his apartment, running a hand through his stiff hair. He had never felt this way about anyone, especially a Nephilim. He had just met him, knew little to nothing about him, and he was already head over heels for the shadowhunter. He desperately wanted to run his hand through the boys messy hair while staring into his bright blue eyes. He had talked to the boy for mere moments, and now he was acting like a schoolgirl who had just met the man of her dreams.

Blue eyes and dark hair, just what he was after, but there was something off about the Nephilim, a certain aura that seemed to flow around him, like some sort of hidden magic. But that couldn't be right, he was a Nephilim, he couldn't perform magic. And then he had those pointed ears and what seemed to be blue skin, fair folk maybe?

That most likely wasn't it either, while some of the fey were able to perform mediocre feats of magic, the feeling around him was different than the normal forestry feel of the fey. Something.. ocean-like? Magnus didn't mix well with water, so maybe this boy wasn't a keeper if he gave off a watery vibe.

Magnus continued to ponder the thought as he changed into silk red pajamas, his mind wondering over and over again to the blush that had appeared on the boy's face moments before he had left him at his doorstep, or the slightly panicked look on his face when he had asked if Alec was part Fair Folk.

Magnus was practically dying to learn more about this mysterious Alec Lightwood.

Many people might not think it, but the sky of New York during sunrise was beautiful. reds, pinks yellows oranges, stunning amounts of color. It mesmerized Alec, his eyes gazing at the lovely array of light as he sat up, yawning softly. He got out of bed, scratching at the scales on his neck. He was just happy that he didn't feel sick. He hated morning sickness.

He opened his door and started to walk down to the kitchen, hoping that no one would be down there. Boy was he disappointed. Maryse, Jace, Izzy, Max, and Clary were all down there. He knew his hair was a mess, revealing his pointed ears, and could also tell that the lightly colored scales gracing his neck were clearly visible in the light.

Everyone stopped talking, even Max. Clary stared at Alec with a confused look before resting the scales. He stood frozen.

"Good morning, Alec," Izzy said, trying to break the silence. She walked over to him, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him into the hallway. "Let's have talk in the hallway,". She released his arm, which he proceeded to rub where she had jerked his skin. She turned around to look at him, a mixture of worry and anger on her face, as well as panic.

"What are you thinking, walking in there when you know that Clary is here. What if there had been other people here? We'd be screwed. We need to think of an excuse, and it better be fast, Clary's not going to wait forever." she said quickly. She hoped that it was too early in the morning for Clary to care, much less ask what was wrong with his ears and skin.

"Skin disease." Alec blurted out. Izzy nodded slightly, understanding what he meant by the vague remark, hoping it would be believable enough for Clary.

"And your ears?" she asked, poking his ear not too gently.

"Birth defect?" Alec asked, telling her the only thing he seemed to come up with.

"Fine, but if she doesn't ask, don't say anything. Unless Jace has already decided to tell her your life story." She said, rolling her eyes. They walked back into the kitchen, the group talking together, Izzy joining the conversation as Alec went off make himself some coffee.

Clary said nothing about Alec's ears or skin, only exchanged a few polite pleasantries with him, smiling at him occasionally. Alec was grateful for not having to talk too much. He stood by the counter, mostly silent, taking sips of the coffee every once in a while. He was pretty sure he had a coffee addiction.

Clary was eating an apple, Jace was eating a bowl of cereal, while Izzy finished off the last muffin. Maryse sat quietly on one of the stools, holding a cup of tea. They were relatively quiet, Izzy, Jace and Clary starting a conversation every once in a while, but it quickly died down. It was going to be a long day if things continued to go wrong for Alec.

And go wrong they did.

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 **Hey Laurenathalasa, high five on the Percy Jackson reference.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! These next three chapters all go into one, but I just divided it into three parts so that it would be more spaced out. This is a short chapter, but I hope you still like it!**

 **Also, something that I keep forgetting to mention is that due to Alec not being around at the Institute that often, Jace and Isabelle act slightly different than how they would in the book and Robert isn't around very often. Isabelle is more overprotective of her big brother and it can get a bit out of hand at times. Jace is also very protective of Alec, and is also protective of Isabelle, and he can also be quick to judge others if one of his siblings is injured or at risk of getting hurt. Alec never truly fell in love with Jace, but of course he still loves him as a brother. And then there's Clary, who didn't even know that Alec existed until she dated Jace.**

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This was ridiculous. It was the fifth time they had had to go out to slay some stupid demon this morning. That was five times too many in Alec's opinion. As they finished off a small behemoth demon, Alec felt the urge to throw up.

He felt sick all of a sudden, as if he had caught a bug of some sorts. Shadowhunters didn't get sick that often, but for Alec it seemed to be different. He got sick far too many times than a shadowhunter should.

Fever, bronchitis, a simple cold, it was never pleasant. He would have to lay in bed for weeks when he was little, not knowing what was wrong with himself. Now he knows that it is just a side effect of changing back to legs after being in the water for so long, or not being in the water enough.

He held his hands over his stomach, clutching his waist tightly, hoping it would pass while Izzy applied an iratze to Jace's arm. It eventually subsided enough so that he could walk around semi-comfortably. They walked back to the Institute, Alec following from behind as Jace and Izzy talked between themselves, Izzy stealing glances at Alec every once in a while, as if her sibling instincts were telling her that something was off about her brother.

Once they got to the Institute Alec immediately went to his room, deciding to mope around there over his tummy ache. He made it about three feet down the hallway before he ran into Maryse, literally. They stood and stared at each other for a second, not sure what to say to the other. Alec hadn't even told her that he was going to drop by, had just thought little and acted.

"Hello, Alec." Was all Maryse managed, staring at her son, her eyes moving from his pointed ears to his bright blue eyes that seemed to look at her expectantly. His body language gave off a feeling like a cat ready to jump away at a moments notice.

"Hello Maryse." He replied, his shoulders strained. Maryse really wished that he would just call her 'mother' or something like that, she felt that 'Maryse' was too formal when talking to her children. Then again, she rarely saw her oldest, considering all the time that he spent in the river.

Without another word, Alec lowered his head and walked away.

Alec felt like his heart would beat right out of his chest. He thought he was going to pass out, even though he had only exchanged a few words with the woman. He hurried to his room, slamming the door behind him and throwing himself down onto the soft sheets of the bed. He stared out his window, watching cars pass by on the streets.

He felt worse, his heart slowing down, but a headache slowly developed. Great, a headache and he felt like emptying out his guts. He wasn't sure what to do to stop the nausea. An iratze wouldn't work, they only worked when it came to physical illness for Alec, which really sucked sometimes. Now being one of those times.

He closed his eyes, thinking sleep would do him some good. If there was a demon alert, Jace or Izzy could come get him. He closed his eyes, trying to forget his sickness as sleep overcame his body.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the next chapter, I hope you like it!**

 **Heads up, this chapter and the next one have some violence.**

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Pain, a horrible pain woke him up from his sleep. It felt like someone tearing his skin open in the most gruesome way, all along his arms and down his back. Only a few pain ridden whimpers escaped his throat as he tried to find his voice to call for Jace or Izzy for help. He got a glimpse outside, seeing the stars and moon. The full moon.

He had heard stories about mermaids and mermen losing control and finding a taste for blood on some full moons. He had chosen to not believe the silly rumor, one he still was praying was fake.

Another shock of pain jolted down his spine, causing him to cry out loudly, his voice full of agony. He had had demon blood flow through his veins and claws dragged across his ribs, but it had never been this unbearable. He arched is back, hoping to relieve some of the pain, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Alec, what's wrong?" A voice said, the somewhat familiar creaking of his door opening echoing through his ears. He craned his neck to see Izzy walking into his room, Jace not far behind her. Alec watched as their faces quickly shifted from worry to fear, their eyes glued to his back. He turned slightly to see what they were looking at. He didn't blame them for their fear.

Bony fin-like spikes jutted out from his back, covered in what looked to be blood and muscle tissue. There were also two jutting out from each shoulder, one of them smaller than the other. The webs on the spikes were a transparent black, glittering blue at times like his scales.

He made a pitiful noise as another shock of pain tore through his spine, not being able to find his voice. He felt strange, his mind blurry and unfocused yet he could still clearly feel the pain.

He heard one of the two mutter something that sounded like 'By the Angel' but he wasn't sure, his ears starting ring as his urge to throw up came back. He felt like tearing out his stomach.

He felt a shaky hand on his back, gasping harshly at how cold the hand was. He hadn't realized how hot he was, he hadn't noticed the sweat glittering against his forehead. His thoughts becoming clouded and foggy as he tried to regain what little composure he might have left. It felt like he was either going to die or tear himself apart. Whichever came first.

Izzy placed a hand on her brothers back lightly, staring at the bone fins that had torn through his flesh. They were grotesquely beautiful, and she hoped that their appearance would change for Alec's sake. She heard Alec gasp as she placed her hand on him gently, and she gasped as well, feeling how heated his skin was, even through his shirt, which was covered in blood.

Jace jolted into action all of a sudden, causing Isabelle to remember that her brother was still writhing in pain.

"Alec, Alec!" Jace yelled, his face pale as his voice rose in panic. What were they going to do? Here her brother was, his own body seeming to tear itself apart. They couldn't go to a doctor, this was his secret and word would definitely spread. She couldn't get Maryse, she would just send him to the Clave. They had very limited options. They couldn't use an iratze. They didn't work in situations where his mermaid blood was involved, and she was pretty certain that this involved the blood of merpeople.

She noticed Alec had stopped moving, his body still, his breathing normal. Isabelle hadn't noticed that Jace had been shaking his shoulders. Alec slowly raised up, shoving Jace's hands off his shoulders, his back to them, the bones jutting out of his skin horribly visible. He turned to look at them, and Izzy barely withheld a scream.

This couldn't be her brother. This was someone entirely different. It may look like her brother, but it was definitely not her brother. She heard Jace suck in a breath.

"Alec?" He questioned, his voice gentle, as if he were speaking to a small child. Alec smirked. His eyes, by the angel his eyes. They were slit pupils, a merciless and cold look to them, not at all the gentle and soft look of her brother's eyes. She noticed that they flashed black before turning back to the cold blue.

Isabelle noticed that his ears were longer, more pointed, covered in scales. His nails were longer now too, sharper and more dangerous, like talons. There was a predatory aura all around him as he smiled again, a mocking smile, barring his sharp canine teeth.

"Isabelle, Jace, nice to see you," He said, sounding normal yet different at the same time. "Too bad I'll be the last thing you see." He said, not giving them even the slightest chance to register what he said before he lunged forward.

"Izzy!" Jace yelled, giving her just enough warning to jump backwards before Alec's dangerously sharp claws came in contact with her face. She could see the new fins on his back twitch slightly, more blood soaking the already stained shirt. Jace charged forward, trying to knock Alec off the bed so he could restrain him, but Alec moved away at the last second, dragging his nails along Jace's back, a laugh bubbling in Alec's throat as Jace hit the floor with a thud.

Jace cried out, his hands clenching into fists as he stood and turned to face Alec, holding his fist up in front of him. Alec mimicked his stance, throwing a quick punch which Jace avoided and followed up by punching Alec harshly in the shoulder, causing the other shadowhunter to snarl, the fins along his shoulders twitching slightly.

He glared at Jace, sending two hard and quick punches, one missing while the other hit Jace squarely in the jaw. Isabelle jumped to action, sweeping her leg underneath Alec, knocking him off his feet, causing him to land on his back. Alec cried out, agony lacing his voice as he gurgled out some sort of curse.

He had landed on his new spikes, not breaking them, but the irritated flesh had been torn farther at the rough landing. Jace had time to recover as he ran over to Izzy, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her out of the room.

"What are you doing, we can't leave Alec here!" Izzy said in a shouting whisper, running alongside her adoptive brother.

"We've got to get someone to help him, someone who knows a lot about dowworlders, someone we can trust." Jace said breathlessly, pushing past the doors of the Institute just as we heard Alec's door slam open and a laugh run down the hallway, sending chills down Isabelle's spine. It was like a nightmare come ture. She thought of everyone she could, anyone who could keep secrets, anyone who knows a lot about downworlders.

"Magnus!" She said quickly. He was a dowwolrder and had known many people in his lifetime, maybe he knew what was wrong with Alec. He may not be the most trustworthy person, but she knew he was just about their only option. Then again, that would be giving Alec's secret away to Magnus...

Jace seemed to agree with her, although he didn't look too thrilled. So they ran, running as fast as they could, knowing that there was someone following them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Continuing from where we last left off, here is the next chapter!**

 **Heads up, there is some violence.**

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Magnus sat up, annoyance plain across his face, He stood up and walked over to the intercom on his wall that had been frantically buzzing for a few moments.

"Who is it?" He asked, listening intently for a reply. They better have a damn good reason for waking him up so late.

"It's the shadowhunters that were at your party last night, it's important, we need your help." A frantic voice said over the speaker, tinged with fear. Isabelle, he thought he remembered. If any shadowhunter was scared of something and decided that he was the best option for help, he better assist them.

"Alright, come on up," He finished, pressing a button that would allow them to climb up the stairs to his apartment.

Two out of breath and terrified shadowhunters burst through the door soon after, both of them looking pale as the one he thought he remembered as Jace slammed the door shut behind him.

"You know, when you said 'the shadowhunters' I was hoping the blue eyed one would be with you too." Magnus said, his voice slightly disappointed.

"That's why we're here." Jace said breathlessly. Magnus looked at him, obviously confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked. He quickly received an answer. The intercom came on, static coming through. He waited, watching as Isabelle sucked in a breath.

At first there was nothing, then a quiet laugh cut through the static. It had a cold and merciless sound to it. Magnus waited, somewhat confused about what was going on.

"You can't hide," A voice said through the intercom, sounding familiar. Was it the blue eyed shadowhunter? It couldn't be, this voice was cruel, murderous, yet it still sounded like him. Moments later there was a knock at his door. Isabelle made a strangled noise in her throat. Jace grabbed both her and Magnus' arms, dragging them into one of his guest rooms. They closed the door behind them, just in time to hear a sound like shattering wood. Jace pressed his ear against the door, the others following. Once again, a horrifying silence cut through the air.

"You do remember," A muffled and slightly out of breath voice could be heard through door, "When I wasn't hiding away in the river in fear of being rejected by my own family," Isabelle flinched at the words, "We played hide and seek, I would always seek,". The voice stopped, and while Magnus seemed confused, Jace and Izzy understood where this was going and slowly backed away, getting their hands on whatever they could, Izzy picking up a lamp while Jace picked up a pair of scissors and tore them apart, holding them like daggers. Magnus backed away from the door, following the shadowhunters' lead.

"I always won." The voice said, the door caving in on itself to present a horrifying figure. The blue eyed shadowhunter whom Magnus had talked to just last night, had webs sticking out of his back and shoulders, made of what appeared to be his own bone, black webbing covering them thinly. His eyes were slit pupils much like Magnus', although they were blue and filled with the promise of bloodshed. He had long pointed ears covered in dark scales that glinted blue, and he smirked, barring sharp fangs.

He lunged forward without another word, moving towards Isabelle with incredible speed. Almost simultaneously they struck each other, Isabelle swinging the lamp at him, hitting him square in the chest, sending glass pieces all over him and buried in his skin. Alec swung a punch at Isabelle, hitting the side of her face with enough force to knock her back. They both yelled in pain.

Jace moved forward with the sharp scissors, his eyes glittering with fury. Jace brought the scissors down and stabbed the blue eyed creature in the leg, both of the blades piercing deep into his skin before being torn out of the ripped flesh.

Alec only made a small noise in the back of his throat at this, bringing his taloned hands down, grazing Jace's chest lightly before Jace pulled back. Isabelle moved forward and punched the creature in the stomach, sending him stumbling back before he retaliated by dragging his claws along her leg and sending a hard kick to her ribs with his bleeding leg, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Jace returned yet again, Magnus finally stepping in to help him. He attempted to fling the creature against a wall as he focused on trying to use his magic, but only managed to push him back slightly before another source of magic retaliated his own. The blue haired boy turned to Magnus instead, ignoring Jace.

Magnus was almost frozen on the spot. The creatures eyes were gleaming joyfully, a large smile dancing across his lips. He rushed towards Magnus, taking the warlock's hesitation to his advantage. He jabbed at Magnus' side, the warlock attempting to block the hit, but missing. The warlock stumbled, turning around just in time to see Isabelle raise to her feet.

She was clutching one to Jace's makeshift daggers, holding it tight to her chest. She moved forward, catching the blue haired boy off guard. She plunged the dagger into his shoulder. The boys eyes dilated, a shriek tearing through his throat. He managed to turn around with a snarl, looking at a terrified Isabelle.

His eyes were wide, animalistic. He advanced on her, Jace stepping in to swipe his feet out from under him, plunging the other dagger into his leg as he fell. He landed on the Bone spikes protruding from his back. Tears streamed down his face as he screamed, his voice full of pain. Jace landed a few good kicks against Alec's ribs, and Isabelle and Magnus could hear the crack of the bones. Izzy ran over to her adoptive brother, yelling fearfully at him to stop, that that was his brother.

Jace seemed to recall himself. He looked down at his brother who was passed out on the floor, tears staining his face. Jace looked around for a moment before his gaze became full of guilt and revulsion. Magnus still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he knew it was nothing good.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! I hope that you liked the last few chapters. This has been my favorite story to write so far, and I appreciate all of the reviews that you have been posting. Thank you for following, favoriting, and reviewing, it always motivates me to write more!**

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Isabelle leaned into Jace, trying to comfort the boy who rarely showed such negative emotions. Magnus stood and watched the affectionate display, trying to figure what in hell's name was going on. He had been woken up in the middle of the night to shadowhunters running to his house, another shadowhunter following them, but this one seeming corrupted and even attacking his brother and sister. Not to mention, this particular rogue shadowhunter was the same Nephilim he had hit on earlier.

"Would one of you mind explaining what is going on?" He asked, purposefully interrupting what would be a very touching moment. Isabelle glanced up at him, hesitance in her eyes. Well, if she came all the way to tell him something and dragged this boy with her, she might as well tell him.

"Would one of you mind explaining what is going on?" Magnus asked quite rudely. Izzy glared at the downworlder, then looked at Jace hesitantly. He ignored the warlock. He was ashamed of himself. Even when his own brother was down and passed out, how dare he keep attacking, keep pushing him around even after he can't fend for himself. His own brother, his parabatai.

He saw Izzy glance at him out of the corner of his eye, and he tried his best to give his consent to tell Magnus what was going on without moving away from his brother.

Izzy glanced at Jace, seeing that he agreed with telling, she turned and looked at Magnus, her leg burning in pain as well as her side as she moved to face him.

"When Alec was little," She started, taking deep breath to settle her shaking voice. "We found out that he had the blood of... merpeople in him. We don't know how or why this happened, but it did. Now he spends most of his life in the river and we rarely talk about him, unless we're in the presence of people who actually knows what he is. If the Clave knew, they would probably try to kill him," She said, her voice trembling at the last sentence as she turned to glance at her brother's face.

"He was in his room, and I heard him yell. Jace and I went to investigate and when we walked in, there w-were-," She faltered, her eyes growing distant and her bottom lip quivering. She remembered how bloody the spikes were, the torn flesh and the look of pain on his face. "H-He was acting like himself at first, acting like Alec, a-and then he j-just... changed. His pupils were slit and and he said that he would be the last thing we saw." She looked at the ground. She didn't want to talk about it anymore, or even remember it. She just hoped her brother would be okay in the long term.

Magnus was shocked into silence by the peculiar story. In all of his life, he had never heard of a merman shadowhunter. He had heard of many mermaid hybrids, mermaid vampires, mermaid warlocks, sirens, but never a mermaid shadowhunter. He would have to do a bit of research to find out why this particular one has spikes now, but he had a feeling that he already knew what was going on.

Every group of demons or werewolves or vampires had one of their kind that ruled over all the rest in the area. He had never encountered a mermaid in all of New York. Alec's mermaid instincts may have taken over and he became the leader of the clan of New York mermaids, or a pack of New York mermaids, whatever they call themselves. Alpha mermaids, or whatever they're called, normally have some sort of quality that marks them as leader, the marks are always different, and Alec's may have been the spikes that were now along his back and shoulders.

It was also because of the full moon. Over the years, one of the few things Magnus had learned about mermaids is that on certain full moons mermaids lost control of themselves, somewhat like werewolves, and almost all of the mermaids who are under the moon's influence have a thirst for blood. Although Magnus was confused why it had affected Alec only tonight, maybe the moon's power was very strong tonight, but he knew he needed to get the merman to safety, somewhere he couldn't hurt others or himself when he woke up. Someplace preferably with few exits and no windows.

One of his three guest rooms would do, he could simply close the curtains and that would stop the moon's influence on the merman. Magnus nodded at Isabelle's statement, showing that he understood her predicament. Jace still hadn't said a word and Isabelle was standing still and silent now. Magnus reached down, picking up the merman, inwardly shivering as he felt the shadowhunter's blood streak down his hands as he lifted him up. He walked out of the room, Isabelle close at his heels while Jace followed a little ways behind.

He walked into the plain guest room, which was surprising tame in decoration for Magnus. He had been planning to decorate it tomorrow or some other time this week. He laid Alec down on the bed, careful to smooth the flexible spikes down against his back and shoulders before lowering him onto the bed. He set to work at finding all the wounds on Alec, placing his hands on the shadowhunter's slowly moving chest.

He sent sparks of magic through him, searching for the wounds that Alec had received during the fight. He was surprised when he felt another source of magic retaliate his own again. He sent a stronger pulse through, just enough to get through the protection spells that were fighting his magic. He found many injuries, cracked ribs, one of the spikes on his back had been broken, there was glass in his chest, and he had three stab wounds in his leg and one in his shoulder.

Magnus carefully took the boy's shirt off, being careful where the fabric might get caught on the spikes. He pulled out the glass pieces as best as he could, healing them as much magic as he was able to get through. With a flick of his wrist there was gauze on the table next to him, and soon enough he was able to wrap up the shadowhunter's chest where the glass had been, and then his shoulder and leg where he had been stabbed.

After he tended as best he could to the dark haired boy, he turned to Isabelle, watching her for a moment before holding his hand out palm up in front of her.

She glanced up at him slightly, her dark eyes shining with unshed tears in the soft light. She took his hand, allowing Magnus to place his other hand on top of hers, focusing on the long and deep cuts on her legs, he healed the wounds quickly. He used his magic to check to see if there was any damage done to her ribs where Alec had kicked her, and was relieved to see that she had only been bruised, no serious damage. She would have a other few bruises, but it was better than broken bones.

Magnus turned to Jace next, letting go of Isabelle's soft hand in favor of Jace's, although his hand probably wasn't as smooth. Magnus only got to tell where Jace's injuries were, deep claw marks along his back and barely visible ones on his chest, before Jace yanked his hand back, glaring at the warlock with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Magnus raised his hands defensively. If Jace didn't want his help, he wasn't getting it. Unless he fell asleep and Magnus got the chance to heal him. After all, they did drag a murderous shadowhunter in his house and broke one of his lamps, Magnus obviously owed them his help.

Magnus stood up, running a hand through his messy hair. Isabelle was sitting in one of the chairs near the bed while Jace kneeled at the edge of the bed, gazing at his adoptive brother with a look of guilt.

"If you want, you two can sleep in your own rooms, their are two open guest rooms at the other side of the hall. If you want to stay here, please do so. I'll be in my room, sleeping like a normal person would at this time of night. If you need me, my room is in the other hallway past the living room and kitchen. Good night." Magnus said before walking out and heading to his room. He wasn't actually going to sleep, he needed to search through his books and find out if his assumption about the mermaid was right.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everybody! I apologize for not updating, I was on vacation and only had time to upload a little Malec one-shot for the story simply called "Short Stories". There will be more of those too, so follow that story if you would like. Thank you all for the support you have given me, it really inspires me to keep writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Agony, pain, exhaustion, those were the first things that Alec felt when he woke up. He was also disoriented. He tried to sit up and get a good look at what was around him before a searing pain jolted through his ribs and he landed back down against the fluffy mattress. He wasn't in any room that he had ever seen before, but Izzy and Jace were here, so it was probably safe. There was gauze wrapped around his now bare chest and his shoulder, and he could also feel the material wrapped around his leg.

He sat up again, much slower this time, stretching out his limbs and spikes experimentally. Wait, spikes? Alec turned around, looking at his shoulder and back, trying to get a good view from the awkward angle. Bony spikes covered in a thin black webbing that occasionally glinted different shades of blue were jutting out of his back and shoulders, one large one against his back and two on each shoulder. A wave of pain rolled through his chest, making him jerk around so that he was facing forward and not twisting around to see the spikes.

The one on his back ached, the same ache as having a broken bone healing. The skin around the area almost made him writhe in agony, the pain threatening to consume him. He moved on the bed slowly, his side hurting horribly as well as sparks of pain flying across his chest in different places. He did his best to ignore his skin around the spikes, trying to forget the feeling of agony that laced through the area. His leg threatened to give out under him as he stood, and he clutched his arm with the injured shoulder to his chest.

He limped out of the room, moving his spikes occasionally, testing out the new parts of his body which he hoped would go away soon. He settled on having them flat against his back and shoulders, not sticking out dangerously and threateningly, finding that it soothed the pain around the ribboned flesh. He walked into the living room, finding it oddly familiar. Had he been here before?

"Nice to see someone finally awake." A voice announced loudly, causing Alec to jump and then regret the motion as pain flared up in his body. He was in Magnus' apartment. It looked different without the flashing lights and drunk downworleders all over the place. Magnus was stirring a cup of coffee, looking at him with tired cat eyes, glittery gold makeup smudged around his eyes.

"Uh, hello. Why exactly are we here?" Alec asked, pain unintentionally lacing his voice. He didn't remember much of what happened last night. He remembered pain and fighting, but he couldn't remember who he had been fighting, he only remembered feeling the surge of energy in his veins and his excitement towards the attack.

"Oh, you're only here because you chased your siblings all through New York in a murderous pursuit to spill their blood." Magnus said casually, taking a sip of the coffee. Alec looked at him, a confused and shocked look on his face before blurry memories started clearing. Punching Jace, hitting Izzy, chasing them through the streets, blood and pain...

"By the Angel." he murmured, horror lacing his voice as he recalled the events of last night. Magnus looked at him, most of the humor that was normally dancing in his animated eyes had seemed to die out.

"Oh don't worry, I healed them both, but you have been causing me some trouble. I also had to heal Jace when he was sleeping because golden boy refused to let me help when he was conscious." He said, taking another sip. Alec felt a small weight lift off his shoulders as he was given the information that his siblings were okay.

"So, about my back and shoulders..." Alec said, not wanting to finish the sentence. He wanted to know what was happening, but he didn't want to be given news that he was dying or something along the lines of that.

"Ah yes, your... fins. So, after a night full of research, I have discovered that you are the new leader of the mermaids here in New York. Which is why you have a mark of an alpha."

Alec froze. Leader of the mermaids in New York? He was going to have to attend Clave meetings, he would have to show up when people requested his help as the leader of the New York mermaids. The clave would find out about him, about what a disgrace to the shadowhunter name he was.

He felt like he couldn't get enough breath, he felt like so many things were being piled on him that his body couldn't handle the pressure anymore. He didn't even feel when his knees gave out under him, just felt himself slide to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt not to panic, don't panic, it was okay, you'll be fine. Pain shot through his leg as he hit the ground.

"Alec?" A voice said, the owner of the voice looking down at him with worried green and gold cat eyes.

"I-I'm fine," Alec said, trying to come back to reality. "I just need to get my siblings and get back to the Institute." He said, standing up cautiously with Magnus' help before the warlock spoke up.

"Actually, I need to check up on your tail to make sure that your as healed as I can get you. We can go wherever you want to transform, but I need to check." Magnus said, his voice soft and his eyes sparkling with a kind light, like someone trying not to scare away a startled animal.

"I can just change here if you want." Alec replied, even though he wasn't quite willing to transform. The only people who had ever seen his tail were his parents and the silent brothers, and that was years ago.

"How about somewhere slightly more comfortable, like the couch." Magnus replied, gesturing to the soft looking pink couch. Alec nodded, walking on unsteady legs, Magnus guiding him to the couch. He sat down, trying to get as comfortable as possible in this frightening situation.

Magnus watched him with expectant yet patient eyes, waiting for him to change. Alec focused all of his own magic into transforming from his two legs to his tail, a more natural form for him. It wasn't painful to transform into a tail, unlike forming legs, which resulted in horrible pain. His legs and skin shifted into the darkly colored scales that shined blue. The long tail stretched across the surface of the couch, scales glistening. His torn pants and the gauze that had wrapped his leg had disappeared in the process, as well as much of his strength. He wasn't sure if he would be able to turn back. He still had the bandage around his shoulder and chest.

He struggled a bit to breath with his gills, but quickly adjusted to the air. The air in the water was so much cleaner, clearer. The air out here felt toxic. After a few gasping breaths he was able to steady his breathing. There were still what appeared to be stab wounds, but they were now on his tail, causing agony to lance through the sensitive scales. That must have been what had caused his leg to hurt so much. He struggled not to tear up.

Magnus' eyes gazed over his tail, a look of silent appreciation for the lovely scales causing his eyes to glow slightly. Alec blushed, his black scales shifting to a dark blue color.

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 **Thank you for reading this chapter! I have a quick question, would you all like me to make the chapters longer? Please leave a review or send a me a PM with your answer. Thank you!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately, school has had me preoccupied, and I don't have anytime to write anymore. I made this chapter a bit longer, so I hope you all like it!**

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To say that Magnus was amazed by Alec's scales was an understatement. The scales on his tail were absolutely stunning, a dark black shining different shades of blue in the light that streamed through the windows. Magnus stared in awe, something he had not felt in a long time. The boy blushed, his scales changing a dark blue along with the emotion... it was quite interesting.

Alec's ears had grown longer, gills tracing delicately along his neck and sides, scales lightly covering his shoulders. His teeth were fangs, sharp and predatory, yet his eyes were still hesitant and shy, not at all the cruel coldness that they had changed to last night, although he still had slightly slit pupils.

He was mesmerizing. Magnus stared, completely forgetting what he was supposed to be doing as the scales turned a deeper and deeper blue, as blue as the ocean depths or a stormy sky. Alec still had numerous bruises on him, the worst one on his side, one that had changed into a sickly green and purple color.

There were other bone-like fins on his tail, one on each hip where scales met skin and one on the back of his tail, lower down and smaller than the one on his back, and one near the bottom of his tail.

Alec made a soft coughing noise in his throat, bringing Magnus back to reality as he remembered that he was supposed to check for injuries other than the stabs. Magnus placed his hands on the merman's sensitive scales, Alec shivering slightly at the feeling of his warm hands on his cool scales. Magnus sent out his magic, another source retaliating his own just like earlier, much like when it had happened when Alec was attacking them and Magnus tried to push him back.

"Alec, do you have any magic you haven't told us about yet?" Magnus asked, sending a stronger jolt of magic into him to search for injuries as he waited for an answer he already knew. This time some of the magic was able to get through. From what he could tell the injuries he had were the stab wounds and a cracked rib. He sent a pulse of strong healing magic through the merman, healing the cracked rib and stabs wounds. Of course they would still be sore, but at least the stab wounds wouldn't get infected. He moved his hands to his side, looking down at the boy as he waited for an answer.

"I, uh, might have a little magic." He said quietly, almost inaudible.

"Wait, what?" A voice said from down the hallway. Isabelle poked her head out of the guest room, rubbing at her eyes tiredly, a dark bruise prominent on her cheek. "Alec has magic?" Isabelle asked curiously. She walked over to her brother and let out a short cry of surprise. She stared at all the cuts and bruises with a mixture of panic and worry, but then her face changed to awe as she looked at his tail. Magnus guessed she hadn't seen that her brother had changed into the tail yet.

"By the Angel Alec. Your tail is gorgeous, why did you always refuse to show me?" She asked, coming over to run her hand across his scales, being careful not to hit his wounds or the other spikes.

"Wait, you've known he was a mermaid for, what, seventeen years, and you've never seen his tail?" Magnus asked. Why would Alec hide his tail from people who already knew about it?

"He would never show me, and when he couldn't control his transformations when he was little our parents would hide him away in the bathroom. I got a few glimpses when he was swimming back into the river, but I never got enough time to look," she ran a hand over one of the spikes on his tail, causing him to jump about a mile. His tail must be pretty sensitive.

"I forgot!" she cried out quickly. "Are you hurt? Did I hurt you? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?" She assaulted him with questions, kneeling down beside him, worry and slight panic shining in her eyes.

"He's fine," Magnus answered for him. "I healed his cracked rib and the stab wounds on his shoulder and tail, but it'll still be sore,". Isabelle nodded. "Back to my original statement, Alec," Magnus continued. "So you have magic. How long have you had it? Have you learned how to control it yet?". Magnus knew it was easier for mermaids to control their magic, since they had only enough power to be able to do the basics. Put up wards, put spells of protection on themselves, spells of good luck and good fortune, use defensive and offensive magic, and apparently countering spells.

Alec looked very hesitant to answer. He opened his mouth, but then quickly closed it again. Apparently he wasn't going to give any answers anytime soon. Magnus waited a bit longer before he gave up on trying to get an answer out of him.

"Alright, fine, you don't have to tell me. Just change back and get home. I'll check up on you later." Magnus said. Alec paled.

"Alright, fine, you don't have to tell me. Just change back and get home. I'll check up on you later." Magnus said. Alec could feel the color leave his face. He knew he didn't have enough energy to change back, and it's not like he could borrow someone's strength. He was going to dry out and die here without being able to breath before he got enough energy to change back. Isabelle looked at him in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Alec leaned in to whisper to her.

"I don't have enough strength left to turn back..." He explained, pulling back to gauge her reaction. She paled slightly. He understood why. They couldn't stay here forever. Maryse was probably worried sick about her daughter and adoptive son, and was probably worried that Alec had done something to taint the Lightwood name.

Magnus looked at them, perplexed. He had magic, maybe he would understand, but Alec still didn't want to overspend whatever sort of welcome they had been given, if they had been welcomed at all.

"Do you not have enough power left or something?" Magnus asked, looking slightly annoyed. Alec nodded slowly. He was starting to wonder where Jace was. He really hoped he was okay. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him. He didn't understand how Izzy had already seemed to forgive him.

Alec remembered how much pain he was in when Izzy accidentally brushed her hand against his side, causing him to cry out and jump, his fins twitching uncomfortably. Izzy practically flung herself backwards so she wouldn't be hurting Alec anymore and hit Magnus, causing Isabelle to burst into a flurry of apologies aimed at both men, both of them practically shouting back that it was okay, that there was no need to apologize. It was a cluster.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Jace asked, glaring at Magnus as he left the same guest room both of the other shadowhunters had walked out of. He walked over to the group, eyes widening at Alec's tail, almost with the same reaction as Izzy.

"Well, that's not something you see everyday." Jace said. He had always known about his parabatai, but had never actually seen his tail. It was quite a sight. As dark as night with hints of blue shining in the bright light. Magnus looked at him in disbelief at his statement.

"Neither of you have seen his tail before?" He questioned. Jace shook his head no.

"Never. Also, Alec, you might need to put a shirt on, Mr. Glitter over here is making eyes and practically drooling over you." Jace said before heading back to the guest room in search of Alec's shirt, which lay in tatters on the bed.

"I am not," He heard Magnus protest as he came back with the ruined shirt. "Although I do think a shirt is unnecessary, we need to make sure that Alec is healing properly." Magnus said with a smirk.

"Well I don't think this shirt would be that useful anyways." The shirt wouldn't be covering much in it's current state. Alec hadn't said much for most of the conversation, only shifted uncomfortably a few times, most of them ending in him wincing. "So, are we leaving or what?" Jace asked, wanting to get home as soon as possible. He knew Clary might've come to the Institute early in the morning to see him, and he rarely disappeared from his room when he knew Clary was coming over unless it was something dire. He didn't want her worrying.

"Well, you and Isabelle could leave, but Alec here will not be able to escape." Magnus said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"What? Why can't he leave?" Jace asked, not all that excited by the thought of leaving Alec with the flirtatious warlock.

"He doesn't have enough strength to change his tail back into legs." Magnus replied, Izzy nodding at the statement.

"Can't he just take my strength or something? Can't you transform him back? Couldn't we just portal him back?" Jace questioned.

'He can't take strength or receive it, mermaids aren't able to do that. It is also not smart to mess with any downworlders changing or shifting process, it's very dangerous. Portaling is also difficult for sea creatures. They have enough trouble on land as it is, portaling normally leaves them dead. Speaking of sea creatures, we might need to get dear Alec over there into water as soon as possible." Magnus answered. Alec quickly nodded in agreement.

This was going to be a pain. "Fine, Izzy, you go tell Maryse and Clary that we're fine and that we just ended up going on a demon hunt last night and it lasted all night long, I'll stay here with Alec."

"And your stuck with me too." Magnus said in mock happiness.

"Oh joy." Jace said with the same tone. Izzy came up and gave Jace a hug, whispering to him before she set off to the Institute.

"Be nice, Magnus is the reason all of us are alive. I also heard him talking earlier about how he found out why this happened to Alec, what's wrong with him. Keep an eye on your parabatai, this is as hard on him as it is on you." She said before giving him another squeeze and walking out the door. Magnus and Jace looked at each other, Alec watching them worriedly from the couch. This was going to be fun.

Alec watched as the two men glared at each other, the air around them menacing. Alec wished he could shrink away. He was half naked and his tail was fully visible, something that made him uncomfortable. It was also getting harder and harder to breath, the air slowly suffocating him.

"So what are we supposed to do until your adoptive sister gets back?" Magnus asked bitterly.

"Probably find a place where my adoptive brother won't suffocate." Jace replied with just as much bitterness. Alec thought that was a great idea, but wasn't sure if it was worth it from the way that the air was so stern and tense around the two. He didn't know why they didn't seem to like each other. Alec liked Magnus just fine. In fact, he wasn't quite sure what there wasn't to like. He was handsome, smart, funny, and dressed like a rainbow. What more could you want?

"I guess we could just put him in the bathtub." Magnus said, heading down a hallway towards what Alec assumed was the bathroom. He heard water running in a nearby room. Jace turned his attention back to Alec, not objecting to the bathtub idea. Jace sat down on the couch next to Alec.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, his tone of voice much different compared to when he was talking to Magnus.

"I'm fine, other than a few cuts and bruises." He said, although he had realized that the pain in his side had been a broken rib. He was in less pain than before Magnus had healed him, but it still hurt.

"You say that, yet you were stabbed with a pair of scissors four times, had a lamp thrown at your chest, and had five spines tear through your flesh, I don't think that you're 'fine'."

"I'm fine." Alec repeated despite what Jace said. He was fine, he was only ashamed of himself, and also scared for the future. Did his siblings know he was the leader? Would he even be able to gain the courage to tell him? Jace shrugged at Alec's response. The sound of the water cut off as Magnus came into the room.

Without a word, Magnus walked over to Alec and picked him up bridle style, causing him to yelp in surprise and cling to Magnus' shirt as they made their way down the hallway.

"Hey! You know, I could have carried him myself." Jace yelled, hurriedly following behind them.

"I know." Magnus walked into the bathroom, gently setting Alec into the tub, which was probably the biggest bathtub Alec had ever laid eyes on. He could probably actually swim around a little bit in it if it hadn't been for his sore ribs. He yelped as the warm water hit the still stinging stab wounds and the torn skin where his new spikes were, and he struggled in Magnus' arms to get away from the hot water.

Despite his efforts, he was eventually placed in the water, Magnus being as gentle as possible but still roughly tossing him into the tub. He cried out as the water hit the new spikes and torn skin, a sizzling and burning agony stabbing through him. He hurriedly turned onto his stomach to keep the spikes out of the water, whimpering slightly. Jace glared at Magnus, who looked at Alec worriedly.

"Was that necessary?" Jace practically hissed at Magnus.

"Well, I couldn't get him in any other way," Magnus shrugged, his face now expressionless but concern dancing in his eyes. Alec said nothing. His back burned and the stab wounds seemed to ache. The water wasn't even hot enough to burn, yet he still felt pain when in the water.

He tried lowering into the surprisingly deep water, slowly easing his irritated skin lower and lower until his gills were under. Jace looked at him, worry glittering in his golden eyes. He cast one last hatred-filled glance at Magnus before walking out of the bathroom, going who knows where. Magnus watched him, concern still shining in his eyes as well. He sat down on the edge of the tub, watching Alec with his strange cat eyes.

"Do you know how to take the wards off yourself? If you did, then I could stop the pain and maybe heal the skin around your spikes." He said carefully, his voice soft.

"Not necessarily." Alec replied just as softly.

"And what do you mean by necessarily?"

"I can't take them off completely, but I can lessen their power so you can probably slip some magic in between the wards." It was the truth, Alec had had the wards on him since he was little, something mermaids were born with to protect them from the wrath of other ocean dwellers. He had never known how to remove them, only learned how to make them stronger or weaker, which came in handy at certain times.

"Would you be willing to lessen their power so I can heal you?" Magnus asked. Alec nodded, focusing on removing some of the power of the protective barriers. It took some time and a few hand gestures to finally take away some of the power. He looked at Magnus, feeling slightly drained and exhausted.

Magnus raised his hands, reaching across the warm water and gently placing his fingers against Alec's skin. It was a strange feeling, the contrast of Magnus' seemingly cool hands on his warm skin. Alec could feel Magnus' power flow through him, the feeling comforting and relaxing. He could see blue sparks fly off Magnus' fingers as he felt the pain in his shoulder, ribs, and tail diminish. He still felt some lingering pain on his ribs and tail, but knew that that was as good as it was going to get. The skin around his webs didn't hurt as much, which was greatly relieving.

Magnus moved his hands away, looking at Alec with glistening gold and green cat eyes. Affection seemed to sparkle in them before Alec glanced away, looking back at a face masked with a blank expression when he returned his gaze to the warlock.

Magnus stood up and turned, walking out of the room, leaving Alec slightly confused and utterly alone in the warm water.

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you see any mistakes, please tell me so I can fix it! Favorites, follows and reviews are appreciated and will help me post a new chapter sooner!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the wait! This chapter is shorter, but I hope you still like it!**

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Jace stomped around the kitchen, not searching for anything in particular but still finding his eyes looking over everything. He didn't like when Alec got hurt, when Alec hid his pain to benefit others. He had done it for so many years that it pained Jace to see him do it now. What brother or parabatai would want to see there friend injured?

He just prayed for Alec's safely, feeling that it was the only thing to do at the time. Magnus walked into the living room, glancing at Jace before heading towards what the blond shadowhunter supposed was the downworlder's room.

"Hey, walking rainbow. Would you be willing to tell me why my brother grew bone-webs and went murderous on us last night?" He asked quickly. Magnus turned to him, looking at him in pure, unmasked annoyance.

"Your brother is the new mermaid leader of New York and the full moon of last night affected his attitude, and his secret will probably be well known by all of the Clave once the other mermaids find out. Have a nice day." Magnus said, walking into his room and slamming the door behind him before Jace got a chance to ask any questions.

What exactly does he mean by 'mermaid leader'? Was Alec going to have to be like a clan leader, like in a werewolf group? Was he going to lead a certain area like Magnus, who watched over Brooklyn? He really hoped Alec wouldn't be like Magnus. There didn't need to be two sparkly, flirtatious men in New York.

He didn't want Alec to be piled with such responsibilities when the blue-eyed shadowhunter already worried so much for his family.

The warlock seemed to be dragging them apart. This had all started after they went to Magnus' party. After they left, Alec had looked quite sick, more so than his usual paleness and silence. After they had left the party... after Alec had been alone with Magnus for some time. This couldn't be a coincidence, someone must have caused this. And the only one who would even have the power to do it would be that cursed warlock. They were leaving, now. They couldn't stay in the same area as that downworlder.

Jace walked back into the bathroom that Alec had been placed in to be greeted by a very tired and confused looking Alec. The merman blinked up at him lazily before giving him a pained smile.

"We're heading back to the Institute." Jace declared. He didn't care if he was going to have to drag Alec over there, tail and all. They were heading back to the Institute.

"I can't change back." Alec replied quickly, more confusion lighting up his features.

"Then your going to have to stay a fish. I'll call Clary over to make a portal."

"You could just ask Magnus to make you a portal. He is a warlock after all." Alec suggested.

"No, no more help from Magnus." Jace replied, spitting the name out bitterly. Alec seemed to visibly flinch at his harsh tone. Jace pulled his phone out of his pocket, ignoring the merman's action. He dialed the familiar number, listening to the buzz before Clary picked up.

"Hey Jace, what's up?"

"Hey Clary, I need you to meet me at Magnus' house. I'll let you in. Be prepared to make a portal, and please don't ask questions when you get here, there's too much to explain." He said hurriedly.

"We could have been a romantic couple, but no, it's 'meet me at the freewheeling bisexual warlock's house and make a portal'. I'll be there soon," She said, and Jace almost smiled at the playful tone in her voice, almost. The shadowhunter turned to a horror stricken Alec.

"She won't tell anyone, she's trustworthy Alec." The words of reassurance did not change the state of distress that Alec seemed to be in. He sunk down into the water, his tail and gills and everything that symbolized his difference from the other shadowhunters soon becoming invisible under the water. Jace was starting to question his own judgement when it came to knowing what was best for his brother.

Clary buzzed the intercom, soon hearing the clicking noise that told her she could enter. She hurried up the stairs, wondering what exactly was going on. She had brought a few daggers with her in case there was some sort of danger. She opened the unlocked door to be greeted by Jace. She attempted to say hello, but was gripped firmly by the arm and dragged into a bathroom before she could utter a word.

She looked around confused, her eyes soon resting on the semi-familiar figure in the downworlder's large bathtub. Alec sat there, Jace's brother whom she had met on their last mission, under the water. She could only really see his blue eyes, nose, lips, and his damp dark hair. She was pretty sure he was naked.

"If you dragged me here to compare your abs to your brother's," She said, turning to give Jace a questioning look, "Then I'm just gonna head home."

"That's not why your here," Jace said, holding onto her shoulder. "Alec, either show her now or I'm going to drag you to the Institute through the streets." He said. Alec gave him a panicked look before slowly rising out of the water. You know, while Alec was handsome and fit, she never really wanted to see him naked. That was at least what she was thinking before she saw the scales.

Gorgeously colored scales, black and shifting various colors of blue. She had just noticed that his ears were long and pointed, and there were gills along his neck and sides with scales softly fitted around them. He had slit pupil eyes, much like a cat, that nervously searched her own eyes. His tail was gorgeous, but what made her catch her breath was the spikes. They were translucent black, which, much like the scales, shifted from dark blue to an icy color as he gauged her reaction worriedly. The color of his scales reacted to his emotion, or at least that's how it seemed. He had some faint and some very easy to see bruises all over his body, as well as cuts that seemed to almost be healed. There was a particularly gruesome bruise on his side. Her hands practically itched for colored pencils and a sketchbook.

She gazed over him for a moment before speaking.

"So, why am I here." she asked Jace, her eyes still lingering along Alec's worried features, tense shoulders and sparkling eyes. She didn't want to ask questions, knowing it was most likely a long story. This was not something she had expected, not something that anyone would suspect.

"I need you to make a portal to the Institute." Jace replied immediately.

"Why don't you just ask Magnus to do that?"

"That's what I said." Alec joined into the conversation, sinking down into the water carefully, seeming to have relaxed once he saw that Clary had no criticism.

"Because I need you to do it. I'd rather not have anyone else question my motives." He said as he pulled out his stele and placed it gently into Clary's hands. She still wasn't sure why he didn't just let Magnus do it, but she decided not to ask any questions like Jace asked. Too much was going on already, too much to process.

She walked over to the wall and pressed the stele's tip into the wall, starting to create a portal in the small bathroom. She better get her question's answered after all of this.


	13. Chapter 13

**I have returned uvu. I apologize (yet again) for my absence, school and volleyball combined were taking up much of my time, but now that volleyball is over, I'll have the chance to write more.**

 **I hope you enjoy chapter!**

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Jace watched as Clary stepped back to admire her portal. Jace moved to pick Alec up, surprised to find how heavy the muscular tail was. Alec's tail was long and beautiful, but the warm blue slowly turned to an icier color the closer to the portal they got. Before Alec had the chance to make a last minute protest against Jace's plan, the golden shadowhunter stepped through the portal, bracing himself against the feeling of getting thrown into the maelstrom.

He landed on the hard floor of the Institute kitchen, worried when he realized that Alec had been torn from his grasp. Said merman landed a few feet away from him, crying out sharply as he landed on his still damaged side. Jace made a move to help Alec, but was stopped when Clary fell as well and landed on Alec who had just enough time to brace himself and catch her, instead of having her slam into him.

He winced under her, face twisted in pain as as the red-head regained her bearings and quickly got off him, apologizing numerous times as Alec tried to assure her that it was okay. He clutched at his side, rolling over on his stomach and propping himself up on his free arm to look at Jace. The merman groaned and put his head in his hands, scales shifting colors and spikes flexing before smoothing down again. The simple movement had Jace's instincts on edge.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked hurriedly, moving over to kneel down beside his brother

"I just felt sick for a moment," Alec replied, shaking his head softly before looking up at Jace, "It passed, let's keep moving." Jace didn't quite believe him, the color of his tail betraying his words, but the golden shadowhunter decided to do as his brother asked for once and continue onwards.

Alec's scales glittered a dark blue, shifting to what seemed to be a purple at times. Jace walked over and scooped his brother up again, holding out a hand to help Clary up as he used one arm to carry the merman. He carried Alec bridle style into the bathroom down the hallway near his room, turning on the water to the bath and setting Alec down gently on the side of the tub. Jace closed the door after Clary had stepped in, moving to a corner of the crammed room. He tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to alert Maryse. Alec sat with his hands clutching his stomach, worrying Jace, but Jace decided not to worry since Alec had told him to drop the subject.

"You know, I could just go back to the river." Alec suggested.

"Not until we figure out how to cover up your bruises and cuts." Jace replied, eyeing the bandages that had somehow stayed on Alec's waist and shoulder when they had gone through the portal. A knock was heard at the closed door, Clary, Jace, and Alec turning around quickly, Alec's scales turning icy blue again.

"Alec, Jace? You in there?" A voice sounded through the door, the words muffled and softened through the thick door. It was Isabelle. Alec's scales turned to a light blue. Clary opened the door, allowing everyone to get a look at the surprised Isabelle.

"I thought you were going to stay at Magnus' place." Isabelle accused, looking at Jace with more anger than he thought she currently had.

"Well, we changed our minds." He retorted. He wasn't letting Alec back over to Magnus' place anytime soon. He saw Alec shift unhappily on the side of the tub, hand briefly leaving his stomach to scratch at the back of his neck nervously before returning to its original place.

"Did you at least find out what was up with Alec's spikes?" She asked, walking into the large bathroom and standing beside Clary. Jace took a deep breath, looking at Alec for approval to tell Izzy. The merman hesitated slightly before nodding.

"Alec is the new leader of the mermaids in New York, which means eventually everyone will know about him because he'll have to attend Clave meetings on the mermaids behalf. Whether he likes it or not, if word spreads, which it most likely will among the mermaid community, then he will be forced to go to the Clave meetings, having both downworlder and shadowhunter blood, and the Clave will either kill him or let him live." Jace explained, spilling the words onto her before she had a chance to decipher them. Saying it out loud made this whole situation seem even worse.

Isabelle stood, looking quite shocked at the news she had just received. She looked at Alec whose scales had turned an icy blue yet again. He looked unhappy, uncomfortable with the amount of people in the room, all of their attention aimed at him. He looked down, watching the water fill in the reasonably sized tub, mesmerized by the shiny bubbles swirling among the clear liquid.

"Okay," Isabelle started, trying to gain her bearings and make sense of the information, "Everyone out, I'll take care of Alec for now." Jace looked hesitantly at the door, then his parabatai, before turning his gaze to Clary, whom had remained quiet for most of the time. She nodded once, Jace and her walking out of the room as Alec watched the, leave wordlessly. For the first time in forever, Isabelle felt scared.

She closed the door behind Jace, turning and facing Alec. She didn't know what to say, what to do. Everyone was going to find out, they were going to take Alec away from her if they found out. Her brother who had always protected her and had her back was in danger and she couldn't help him. She felt useless. She could feel tears gather in her eyes.

"What are we going to do." She whispered, looking helplessly at Alec. His gaze softened at her breaking words. He reached out and grabbed her arm gently, bringing her to his chest in a comforting gesture, a hug. He stroked her hair softly as her shoulders shook with fear. Alec rarely hugged anyone, and she felt more put together as he soother her with calming words and equally calming movements.

"It's going to be okay, we'll find a way out of this." he reassured kindly, rubbing small circles along her back. Izzy stayed silent, only arguments against his words appearing in her mind, not trusting herself to speak. She leaned against him, feeling how cold his skin was and feeling his slight flinch when she wrapped her arms around him to hug back, brushing her hand against his bruised side.

Her brother didn't deserve this, he deserved to be happy and have a nice life and live peacefully. He didn't deserve everything that he had been put through, all the pain and disapproval. She had tried so hard to help keep her brother's secret to herself, tried so, so hard to help him through it. Look where that had gotten them.

She moved away from him slowly, careful not to brush against his wounds as she pulled back to look at him. He was absolutely stunning in this form, the blacks and blues of his scales strikingly colorful against his pale skin. She had always liked his little pointed ears, even though Alec tried to tell her what a nuisance they are, but now she thought that she might like his new spikes more. They were made of bone, yes, but they made him look fierce and predatory. Combined with the soft shyness of his eyes and gentle movements, he was quite a sight.

She watched him, not saying anything, but understanding the silent message that passed between them. It's okay, it'll be alright, it's not your fault, we'll get through this. She didn't quite believe him, she knew that something had to go wrong, shadowhunter lives were not easy, especially if you had some downworlder blood in you.

She stood up, holding out her hand so she could help him sink into the warm water, his tail seeming to glow dark blue under the clearness of the water. She watched him for a while before her body began to move. She gently cleaned his wounds, washing away the blood and making sure to put gauze around them, healed or not. She wrapped gauze thickly around his chest, covering the green and purple bruise along his side. He thanked her, once again telling her that everything would be fine.

She turned and walked out of the bathroom, taking note of Alec's unusual paleness b fore heading towards her own room. Jace and Clary were nowhere to be seen in the vacant halls. She was wondering if she should go into the library instead. Maybe no one would know that she was in there. She didn't want to be bothered at the moment. She walked down the hallway, opening the door to the Institutes large library. She froze.

Sitting in two chairs, Clary and Jace sat, Maryse across from them in her own high backed chair, her mouth set in a stern line. Isabelle felt the urge to run.

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 **Favorites, follows and reviews are appreciated.**

 **Thank you for reading this chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I really do want to apologize sincerely. I haven't updated in months despite promising to. I didn't realize how many people were following, and I feel that I really do owe you an apology.**

 **I'm sorry for not updating. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I greatly appreciate all the support I have been given throughout this story.**

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"Isabelle, would you please come sit with us," her mother asked. She looked at Jace, his eyes telling her to go away, run, hide. She walked over to a chair next to Clary, not wanting to stay, but worried that if she didn't then she would regret it later. Izzy sat down, watching her mother carefully and trying to keep her movements calm and steady.

"Where were you last night, Isabelle?" Maryse asked, her eyes seeming to dare her to lie. She gladly took the dare.

"I was out at a club with Jace." Izzy replied, trying to mask any expression on her face with confidence.

"Then where was your brother?" Izzy had almost completely forgotten about Alec, despite just talking to him. She had only worried about how much trouble they were in, or would be in.

"You mean Max?" She asked, trying to aim the conversation away from the eldest brother, something that would most likely not work, "He was sleeping in his room, like he normally does that late at night."

"I mean Alec, where was Alec." Maryse responded, leaning forward in her chair.

"He was out with us." Izzy replied, nervousness touching the edges of her voice.

"Then why didn't you include him when you said you were out with Jace?"

"Because we lost him in the crowd when we were dancing," the golden shadowhunter stepped in, trying to help Izzy out, something she silently thanked him for. "We caught up with him later, then came home."

"Then can I see Alec?" Maryse asked.

"No he's... not well," Izzy stammered out.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He drank alcohol on accident, and he was really sick this morning," Clary stepped in, "they asked me to come and help take care of him, and they were hoping there was a rune I could use on him." Izzy silently thanked her also. It was true, Alec had gotten drunk accidentally once or twice on spiked punch when they were out partying, so it wasn't that unbelievable. He was almost always a hungover wreck the next morning.

"That doesn't mean I can't see him, hangovers are not contagious." Maryse argued, shooting Clary a look that told her 'talk only when spoken too'. The three young shadowhunters sat in silence for a moment until Jace spoke up.

"He wouldn't want you to see him, you know how he is." Jace said in a casual tone, drawing his words out slowly, although Izzy wasn't sure what he meant by 'how he is'. Alec was very tolerable. Maryse was about to argue when the doorbell rang. The woman stood up gracefully, keeping her eyes on the silenced teenagers as she made her way down the hallway and to the front door. Izzy heard the creaking sound of the door opening, a familiar voice sounding through the hallway.

"Hello, mother of the runaway merman." Only Magnus Bane would show up at the worst of times and say the worst thing possible.

"Hello, mother of the runaway merman." Magnus said loudly as he let himself into the Institute. "May I speak with your scaly son?" Maryse gawked at him for a moment before her surprised expression was covered.

"What do you mean 'merman'?" She asked, her jaw set firmly.

"Darling, you know exactly what I mean." He said as he pushed past her, letting himself in. He walked into what he thought used to be the library, and was greeted by three pale faces. He walked over to them, stopping in front of Clary's chair.

"Can I see said merman?" Magnus asked the group. "I need to make sure his wounds will heal properly, since you ran away before I could do so earlier."

"Wounds?" Maryse shouted from the doorway, seeming to be shocked out of her paralyzation. "Isabelle Lightwood, tell me what is going on this instant before I-," Magnus held up a hand, stopping her mid sentence as she turned to him, looking bewildered. He realized that he might have come at a bad time. Well, he already something up, why not go full throttle and make things even worse?

"Let me break it down for you," He started, turning and facing Maryse, his face serious while his eyes glittered with amusement. "Your golden son and sassy daughter showed up at my house late last night, a shadowhunter with drop dead gorgeous blue eyes following behind them. After he nearly gave poor Chairmen Meow a heart attack and almost killed the three of us, he passed out and we all found out that he is the new leader of the mermaids in New York and now is equipped with bone webs jutting out of his back and shoulders that will most likely not go away."

All three of the young shadowhunters sitting down looked horror stricken, even Clary who still had very little idea of what was going on. Oh no, did he say something wrong, let some secret slip? Whatever will they do, especially when they had a dashingly handsome warlock who could solve all their problems.

"Alright Magnus, I think it's time for us to leave." Isabelle said hurriedly as she stood up, the other two shadowhunters following her lead. They all ushered Magnus out of the room, Isabelle hurrying him down a hallway which was unknown to him. He hadn't been here in years. They shoved him into a small room, all of them piling in behind him before they slammed the door shut. He soon learned that they were in a bathroom. Lovely. He could hear Maryse yelling at them from the hallway, apparently now pulled out of her shock as her heels clicked angrily.

"What the hell Magnus?" Jace practically screamed at the warlock. Magnus looked at him with feigned confusion.

"What do you mean? I simply told your mother that your parabatai's secret will most likely be found out by all of New York, no biggy."

"What?" A voice said behind Magnus, words dripping with disbelief. The warlock regretted his words almost immediately. He turned around to see Alec sitting in the bathtub, his tail curled up in a painful looking way to fit in the water. He was more pale than usual and his tail was sparkling an icy blue color. His newly acquired webs were opened up fully, making him look quite intimidating along with the anger that flashed in his eyes, the pupils slitted again.

Magnus would have been afraid of him if it wasn't for the fact that he was curled up in a bathtub, looking about half his actual size.

"Nothing of any importance, I just came here to check on you after you oh so rudely fled from my apartment." He wanted to dictate his words carefully, seeing that he was face to face with a potentially dangerous shadowhunter, but couldn't help the annoyance that leaked into his words.

"And I'm going to kill you after you 'oh so rudely' told my mother about this current predicament." He practically snarled, tail glittering a deep blue as he used his arms to lean on the edge of the tub and pull himself out of the water. The other shadowhunters in the room looked at Alec in shock, looking openly surprised by this behavior. Alec was not one to threaten. Isabelle stepped in between them as they looked at each other, Alec glaring, tension building in the air. Magnus coudln't keep his eyes off the snarling sea creature.

"Alright, let's not go killing the warlock who might be able to fix his mistake." Alec continued to glare even as he sat back down in the water, his face twisted into a scowl, but staying obedient to Jace's words. Maryse knocked on the door roughly, yelling at them to let her in, as well as saying a few vulgar things about warlocks that Magnus would rather not repeat.

"Maybe you should let your mother in before she breaks the door down." Magnus suggested helpfully. He received quite a few dirty looks at the comment. Alec stared down at the water, his dark hair hiding his eyes, but the webs now flat against his back and the icy blue of his tail betrayed his fear.

"Maybe you should let her in." Clary re-suggested quietly, and in a more polite tone. The young shadowhunters looked torn between making the decision. Alec said nothing.

"Maybe we should just go out and confess, after all, I don't want to be stuck in here with this rainbow all day." Jace said after moments of silence.

"We can't Jace. She'll probably just go straight to the Clave, then it's game over." Isabelle argued. Silence again. Magnus made a coughing noise in the back of his throat, getting everyone's attention, even Alec's.

"Remember, warlock." Magnus said, raising his fingers as blue sparks flew off of them. He could simply make a portal, especially since he was one of the people who helped discover how to make a portal.

"Are you suggesting that you'd be willing to help without us having to give you our life savings and sell our organs on the black market to pay for your assistance?" Jace asked, making Magnus roll his eyes at the stupid question. Shadowhunters were quite dense.

"Of course I would be willing to help out your sexy mermaid brother." Magnus stated simply, gauging the groups reaction. Jace's face flushed angrily while the girls just looked him over before glancing at each other. Alec tensed and his shoulders flushed. How cute.

"Well suck it, because I'm not letting you take him anywhere else, get out of the Institute, now. Your presence is no longer welcomed." Jace spoke through gritted teeth. Magnus was quite surprised by the remark, but didn't allow his emotions to get the better of him. Did his comment upset the little shadowhunter?

"How am I supposed to leave when there is an angry bear outside the door?"

"Make a portal!" Jace practically yelled.

"I'm not wasting anymore magic for your benefit, shadowhunter," waving a hand dismissively in front of the boy. He looked at the Clary and Isabelle, who had remained quiet throughout the short argument.

"Any suggestions, ladies?'

"I could make a portal if you aren't willing to. Although, I'm not sure where you all think you can go, you don't have very many options," Clary said softly.

"You already made a portal today, Clary. I'm not letting you make another," Jace said as a softness filled his eyes when he looked over at her, returning to steely gold when he returned his gaze to Magnus. The warlock returned the glare with just as much bitterness, if not more.

"You know, I would be perfectly fine if you just took me back to the river," Alec said quietly. The mermaid just looked very tired, his bright blue eyes lacking the shine they normally had in them, the shine that made them so beautiful. Magnus' own gaze softened at the boy, despite the situation and the fact Alec had threatened to kill him earlier.

There was a loud thud on the door as Magnus was brought back to the reality of what was going on. He couldn't gaze at the boy all day, and he couldn't sit in here all day either.

"I have a brilliant suggestion. Why don't we all just head back to my flat and discuss the problems later, after we have all settled our differences so we won't be piling poor Alexander with more problems than he already has." Magnus said, watching Clary and Isabelle nod their heads in agreement to the plan. Jace stood as still as stone, his gaze as cold as ice.

"You are not taking my parabatai back to your flat," Jace said, moving his hands up in a defensive stance as if he were willing to fight to the death. Magnus was about to protest when Alexander reached up, with some effort, to place his hand on Jace's shoulder.

"There's no where else we can go, if Magnus wants to help, let him." Alec said in a surprisingly calm voice. Jace looked at Alec, then turned his eyes back to said warlock before hesitantly putting his hands back down. Magnus tuned and began making a portal on the wall, a small smirk on his face at his triumph, even though he said he wouldn't earlier. The door-like portal swirled purple and blue, sparkles and sparks flying in different directions.

Magnus turned and moved the defeated looking Jace out of his way before picking Alec up, careful about his side and webs. Alec made a small startled noise before gratefully lacing his arms around the warlock's neck. Despite all the effort that Magnus used making the portal, he still held tightly to the mermaid, the mermaid with a muscular tail that shimmered and glittered gorgeously in the light. Not to mention those ocean-like eyes.

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 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15, woohoo! I'm not going to separate the PoVs, which I apperently haven't been doing this whole time, so I hope that the chapter isn't too confusing, as the Point of Veiw does switch quite a bit.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Alec was fearful of what was to come. Would he be taken away from everything he had ever known and loved, his family? Will he have to say goodbye to Max, the little brother he barely knew? The thought made his eyes sting, his heart clench. He had always wanted to talk to Max more, get to know him better, but he was normally away on trips with Robert, too far to talk with. He wanted to get to know his brother better, be the big brother figure he deserved.

They stepped into the spacious loft and Magnus set him down on the couch carefully, much to the annoyance of the warlock's cat. Alec glanced around the room, the fluffy pink sofa soft under his skin chilled. There was glitter everywhere, no exaggeration, everywhere. The cat jumped back onto the couch, a cloud of, you guessed it, glitter, wafting into the air as the cat looked at Alec curiously before it rubbed up against his arm, a soft rumble bubbling from it's chest.

"The Chairmen likes you," Magnus observed as he watched the two, a look in his eyes that resembled fondness. Alec nodded, lifting a hand to pet the fluffy little cat. Behind Magnus the group of shadowhunters tumbled through the portal, Jace and Isabelle landing gracefully on their feet while Clary hit the ground with a thud. Jace moved to help her up, offering her his hand. Once she was standing back up, Jace marched over towards Alec, placing himself between Alec and the warlock, scaring off the little cat. Alec still wasn't quite sure what his parabatai had against the warlock.

Jace stood there, not saying a word as Isabelle made her way around the apartment and Clary stood still, unsure of what to do. Magnus simply glared coldly at Jace, something sparking in his eyes that could have been the start of a sharp comment to arm himself with. Alec looked around unsteadily, suddenly feeling as awkward as Clary looked. The silence was unbearable, and Alec didn't really feel like breaking it. How did he get into this situation?

He took deep breaths, but it was becoming harder and harder to get air. Magnus eventually gave up on the staring contest and simply pushed Jace aside again, walking over to Alec and picking him up again. Alec reached up to wrap his arms around the warlock's neck, an action that felt strangely intimate and had a soft blush forming on his cheeks again. Despite his efforts to stay mad at Magnus, even with the fact that his anger had taken control of him for a moment, he couldn't stay mad at him.

Magnus walked him back into the bathroom they had escaped from in the first place, this time closing and locking the door behind him after he set Alec in the water that already filled the tub.

"You're lucky you didn't get injured going through the portal. It normally kills sea creatures." Magnus stated, his voice gaining a gentle tone to it. Alec nodded, remembering Magnus' warning about not taking Alec through portals. He stared down at the clear water, feeling Magnus' eyes burn into the his neck and face. He couldn't keep the blush from appearing across his cheeks.

He heard Magnus moving, then saw him lean down next to him from the corner of his eye. Alec glanced over at the man, hoping that his blush had faded. Alec watched as a smirk appeared across Magnus' lips. The expression only made him blush deeper. Now that Alec really had time to look, Magnus was quite handsome, tan skin, dark hair, beautiful eyes, full lips... Alec tore his gaze away, staring at the water again, almost ashamed of himself for goggling over another man.

Alec felt a hand on his cheek before he was facing Magnus again, the guidance gentle. The warlock's eyes were dark, his smirk gone, replaced by a more serious expression. Alec stared at the breathtakingly gorgeous man.

Magnus leaned in slowly, catching Alec's lips against his own. Magnus' lips were soft and warm, sending a comforting feeling through him, causing him to relax into the light kiss. Magnus pulled back, eyes searching Alec's face. A knock at the door caused Alec to jump as he was brought back to reality. Magnus stood up, tearing his eyes away from Alec's own blue irises and dark pupils. He stood up and unlocked the door, walking out and moving whoever was outside out of his way before he left without a word.

Izzy looked at him in a confused way, Alec only moved his gaze back down to the suddenly interesting water, emotions tearing him apart.

Izzy watched her brother intently, standing and waiting for him to tell him what was wrong. His cheeks were clearly tinted red, but at the same time he wore a face of self loathing. When Magnus had walked out, he had worn a similar expression, aside from the blush. She was starting to believe that coming to Magnus for help had been a mistake.

She sat down on the cold tile floor, resting her arms on the side of the tub. Alec's eyes met her own, and for a moment she saw a flicker of regret and despair travel through them before his eyes watched hers, devoid of emotion. They stared at each other for a few moments in comfortable silence. Izzy's eyes flickered from her brother's eyes to his scaly ears, then to his spikes, which were down, unthreatening.

"How are you feeling?" Isabelle asked, not sure how else to break the silence.

"Fine, what about you?" He asked, turning with a wince and placing his hands on top of her own, still resting on the edge of the tub.

"I'm good," she said lightly. "When you were in here with Magnus," she started, watching as Alec's face was painted in a light red. "Jace and I decided that it might be best to take you back to the river and just wait to see what happens," she told him. She gauged his reaction, watching as hesitation then agreement flashed in his eyes. He nodded at the plan, showing his approval.

"While originally we were going to all stay and watch the river in case you needed us, we decided that we would just visit you occasionally instead," Izzy continued. Alec nodded yet again. "Do you want to risk going through a portal again, or just try to shift to legs?" Alec considered the question for a moment.

"I'll transform back to legs, but I don't know if I'll be able to get everything back," he explained. Isabelle nodded, deciding not to question the last part of that sentence, assuming that he meant a few scales and fins might stick around. She stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She turned and leaned against the wall, seeing that Magnus, Jace, and Clary were all waiting.

The amused look had returned to Magnus' eyes, and Jace was glaring at him intently. Clary looked around the room, taking in the pictures and strange furniture. Jace turned and faced Isabelle, his glare disappearing at the sight of her.

"So what did he say?" Jace asked.

"He agreed with the plan,".

"What plan?" Magnus asked, uncrossing his arms, amused look dropping.

"We're going to take him back to the river," Isabelle said, confused as to why he was suddenly so on edge.

"What? No, you can't do that. Other mermaids who wanted the leader position will surely try to kill him," Magnus said.

"If there even are any other mermaids. Look, Alec will be fine, he doesn't need you hovering around him all the time. He's a shadowhunter, remember," Jace stated. Magnus shook his head, readying himself to argue, but was stopped by a timid knock at the bathroom door.

Isabelle turned around and started to open the door, but was stopped by something pulling against her.

"No! Isabelle stop, close the door!" Alec shouted. She was pretty sure she now knew what he meant when he said 'I don't know if I'll be able to get everything back'. Considering the amount of panic in his voice, she was now almost positive she understood. She turned away from the now closed door, which probably held a red Alec behind it.

"Magnus, do you know if you could lend Alec some clothes?" Isabelle asked. Despite their current predicament, Jace laughed loudly and nearly doubled over as he immediatly understood what was going on, Clary watching him and having trouble suppressing laughs of her own. Magnus smirked.

"Of course."

Magnus came back with a pair of skinny jeans with large holes in the knees, blue sparkles around the torn area. He was holding a matching royal blue shirt, which was surprisingly tame for the warlock's fashion taste. With a snap, the clothes disappeared and a surprised yelp could be heard through the bathroom door.

A few moments later, a bright red Alec appeared from the bathroom, looking quite annoyed by his outfit. Magnus had to admit, the boy was quite dashing. The shirt and pants he picked out perfectly matched his bright blue eyes. The clothes looked quite nice on him, even though you could still see the outlines of the flat spikes on his back and shoulders. He looked extremely flustered, looking around the room and refusing to make eye contact.

"Can we all forget what happened a few minutes ago?" He asked quietly.

"Hell no!" Jace laughed "I'm never going to let you live that down!". The statement didn't help with Alec's current color.

"Let's just get to the river," Clary said, rolling her eyes. She was taking this much better than Magnus had thought she would, considering she barely even knew that Jace had a brother in the first place. She was probably used to weird things by now since she was always hanging around the golden boy.

Magnus nodded, moving forward to open the door for the group. He couldn't wait to finally have his apartment to himself, although, he wouldn't have minded if Alec stayed. He opened the door and stepped aside, each of them walking out before he followed them, closing the door behind him. He wanted to make sure that Alec was safely put back in the river.

They walked down the sidewalk, the shadowhunters talking amongst themselves as Magnus followed from behind. They eventually made it to the river, Alec shyly giving Isabelle, Jace, and even Clary a hug before he hurried down to the edge of the water. The hug to Clary surprised everyone, perhaps even Alec himself as he had hurried to climb down the rocks after the contact. He sat down on the edge of a rock, his feet placed in the water. Moments later, were his legs had been, his tail now was, as well as the fact that his ears were more pointed and his clothes was gone, seeming to have melted into his skin.

He turned one last time to wave at the group before he jumped into the water. Magnus got one last glimpse of Alec's sparkling tail before he was gone.

It felt so good to be back in the water. It felt so natural to breathe through gills. The water was still somewhat murky, but he knew where he was going, his vision would clear up soon. In the river, somewhere along the walls, there is a little rock formation, almost like a little cavern. He always sleeps in there, so that's where he was headed. Sleep would be great right now.

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